1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a pointing guide for repairing, replacing or adding mortar to the joints in a building wall composed of brick or blocks joined together by mortar in which the joints between blocks is defined by a visible mortar line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The problem in existence at the present time, and for many prior years, is that the pointer mason must place a quantity of mortar on the pointing tool and apply it free-hand in a joint in a block wall, such as a wall composed of bricks which is a common type of building. The free-hand application of mortar to point a wall of bricks or blocks allows some of the mortar to attach itself to a surface where it is not wanted. The mortar thus attached where it is not wanted requires a clean-up operation along with extra expense.
Some attempts have been made to improve on the pointing of masonry joints, such as the brick mason's pointing tool in U.S. Pat. No. 1,851,497 of Mar. 29, 1932 wherein right angularly related plates form the tool. The horizontal plate carries the mortar and the vertical plate has slots which can be aligned with the joints to be pointed. The vertical plate is said to prevent smearing the mortar on the face of the bricks. Another example of the prior art is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,167,699 of Aug. 1, 1939. In this patent two different types of tools are needed because one tool has a horizontal slot and the other tool has a vertical slot. The mortar is placed in a rounded trough, and the slots are formed in a vertical back member on the trough.
The problem believed to be inherent with such prior art examples is that the tool is difficult to hold and the vertical or back plate on each obscures the placement of the tool. It is apparent that the mortar has to be lifted to the slot in the back plate and pushed through a slot. The latter operation requires a great deal of skill in order to hold the back plates in proper position throughout the pointing operation.